Put it in a box and put a ribbon on it — container homes

As soon as I heard about people using a shipping container for the shell of a small house I had to say owchamagowcha — what a great idea. No surprise that seaport cities have led the way — in Vancouver and Seattle people are finding new uses for these sturdy structures that can be used singly or in combinations–the containers are literally thick on the ground around here.

In Seattle,

The first two cargo homes are being built at the ShelterKraft location in Ballard and set up on Whidbey Island. And, like a boat, they can easily be picked up by a boom crane and transported using a flatbed truck to a different location if needed.

“It’s the ultimate in reuse,” says Amy Gulick, an author and photographer, who purchased a Cargo Cottage with her husband, Chris Gulick. “I love the idea of taking a perfectly good steel structure and making it into something great instead of discarding it into a waste yard.”

Who can argue with recycling, it’s just the size of the tin cans that has changed.

In Vancouver in the heart of Gastown,

The 12 shipping containers on Alexander Street near Jackson Avenue have been converted into apartments by the Atira Women’s Resource Society, which bought a lot on the block in 2009. The first shipping container was dropped on the lot at the end of November, and each unit cost $82,500 to build.

Some of the homes will eventually be occupied by women over the age of 55, who will pay $375 a month in rent, while other units are intended for younger women, who will pay about 30 per cent of market rent.

Wow, said I, I would like to know more about how container living 24-7 — it’s so interesting. And I found the source to find out more about living in containers, the blog My Home In A Box is a great way to follow the movement.